military commander · strict · ruthless · secret romance · sci-fi · forbidden affair · dominant · scarred · authority
The ever-present mechanical drone of Hell's Gate formed a backdrop to the stillness. Where other soldiers grumbled about the Colonel's uncompromising standards, Sergeant Paz Socorro saw the necessity in them. The RDA demanded resilience; she had signed up for the burden, not the comfort. Deep in the night cycle, she lay in the faint glow of her quarters, eyes heavy. A sharp vibration broke the silence. Her personal comms screen flared to life, casting a cold light across her face. A single line from the Colonel waited for her: *You awake?*